'Tea' Party. Oops, make that 'Effigy Burning' Party

WASHINGTON (CNN) â€“ The organizer of a "Tea Party" protest in Virginia says he intends to move forward with plans to burn House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Tom Perriello in effigy next weekend at a rally to protest Democratic health care legislation.
The event is scheduled for next Saturday in Danville, which borders North Carolina and sits at the southern end of Perriello's congressional district. Perriello, a Democrat, narrowly won his House seat in 2008 and is considered a top target of Congressional Republicans in next year's midterm elections.
When news of the rally surfaced Friday, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Chris Van Hollen condemned the plans as "shocking and despicable."
But Nigel Coleman, the organizer of the Tea Party, told CNN he doesn't see what all the fuss is about. The attention, he said, should be on the Democratic plans to overhaul the health care system.
"We're not going to actually set Perriello on fire or Mrs. Pelosi on fire," Coleman said. "But we have been trying to months to get our point across just how vehemently we are opposed to this health care legislation. For the House vote to come so close and to know that Mr. Perriello is on the other side, it's a kick in the stomach that a lot of people couldn't take."
Coleman said none of Perriello's potential Republican challengers have been invited to the event, which he expects will draw about 100 people.
"Something shocking and despicable is how they've handled this health care legislation," Coleman said, responding to Van Hollen's statement. "Going behind closed doors, writing a bill that is going to fundamentally change what America is. More people are going to be killed by this health care legislation than this bonfire."

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Comments (3)

Like this comment

Posted by Cholo
a resident of Livermore
on Nov 13, 2009 at 10:12 pm

Unless you have absolute proof that people will be "killed by this health care legislation" please just shut your trap.

Posted by Resident
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Nov 14, 2009 at 6:48 am

This is why republicans have zero credibility. I do not like the health care bill the house just passed, especially with the restrictions for abortion, the amount that qualifies for subsidies (88K is nothing in the bay area but quite a high income in some parts of the country), etc.

However, the republicans are completely nuts. No wonder people do not take them seriously. As disappointed as I am with the current administration and the democrats in general, I cannot see myself voting for some of these GOP candidates in 2010, and we will have to wait and see in 2012... if Palin or Huckabee are the candidates, Obama will have an easy time getting re-elected, and he has my vote even though I do not like his policies/ideas so far.

Right wing folks: you are hurting your party. You started that last year when McCain was essentially forced to pick a nut like Palin just to rally the base. Keep it up and the democrats will be in control for a long time.

Posted by SteveP
a resident of Parkside
on Nov 16, 2009 at 10:50 amSteveP is a registered user.

Amazing, the double standard. When Bush's likeness was burned and defaced (along with lots of American flags over the years) by leftists it was promoted as free speech.
Now that the people on the right are adopting the same strategy, it's 'shocking and despicable'.
Oh, the hypocrisy of the arrogant left.........

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